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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Yoga comes to Bellview ... Wet storm will bring mountain snow, valley rain ... FERC rejects Jordan Cove LNG project ... Yoga comes to Bellview ... Wet storm will bring mountain snow, valley rain ... FERC rejects Jordan Cove LNG project ... OUR VIEW Our View: The cost of winning Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News A remarkable streak of post-season success by its teams in multiple sports has left Southern Oregon University saddled with a $1.2 million deficit in its Athletic Department budget. It's time for the university to rethink its approach to deal with the shortfall and to plan for the future. SOU competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Unlike the big-time schools in Division I of the NCAA such as Oregon and Oregon State, NAIA schools don't get television revenue and they don't attract the big donations that keep major college sports programs afloat. What's more, SOU's football team plays in the Frontier Conference, with only one other team in Oregon. The rest are in Montana and Idaho, so even regular-season travel gets spendy. But it's the post-season that's breaking the bank. Playoff runs by the women's basketball, volleyball and track teams, plus men's basketball and wrestling squads, mean travel to tournaments in the Midwest and Southeast. Playoffs are costing an extra $500,000 a year. There aren't many ways to make that up beyond asking alumni and other donors to ramp up giving and charging more for tickets at home games. Athletic success does benefit the university by raising its profile and attracting student athletes. That has already led to more income from ticket sales. If more students come to SOU, especially from out of state, that should help, too. What must not happen is for athletics to take precedence over the university's core academic mission. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501